Conventional connecting members are, in general, designed like a safety strap and have been known for a long time in various constructions. For example, reference is made to Austrian Pat. No. 289 613. In this conventional construction, the connection between the ski shoe and safety ski binding or ski consists of a strap-shaped, multiply bent member which is supported nonreleasably for limited pivotal movement on the safety ski binding. The strap-shaped member is secured arbitrarily releasably on the ski shoe. A disadvantage of this conventional device exists in the use of a structural part, which either is only arbitrarily releasably connected to the ski shoe or carries out in a loose condition (not locked on the ski shoe) uncontrolled swivelling movements which create a danger for the skier. Furthermore, in the case of the strap-shaped member, we deal with a relatively large, bulky structural part.
According to Austrian Pat. No. 270 471, it is also known to use a safety mechanism for skiers wherein same is positioned in the area of the safety ski binding and, as a ski shoe steps into the safety binding, creates a connection with a fastening part which is provided on the ski shoe through an automatic coupling. In this design, however, it is not possible to release the safety mechanism on the ski shoe as long as same engages the safety ski binding.
According to French Publication No. 2 147 916, it is furthermore known to design a safety mechanism consisting of a plastic material which can have one of its ends secured arbitrarily releasably on the ski shoe and its other end either ski-fixed or fastened through a detent on a ski brake, which detent releases during an overload and frees the ski brake. The disadvantages of this device are that mountings on the ski shoe are required, the safety mechanism is usable only in front of the ski shoe and a ski brake, if present, must be arranged in front of the front jaw of the binding.
All the foregoing solutions proved unfavorable according to experience, since a skier utilizing such mechanisms experiences during a fall a sudden load on the most sensitive areas of the foot. Therefore, such solutions were not successful on the market, in spite of repeated efforts.
A connecting member which is designed as a safety strap and is provided with an eyelet is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,730. The end of the connecting member which is held on the ski binding can be released during a fall against the force of a spring so that the occurrence of forces which are dangerous for the leg of the skier during a fall will not cause a fracture. The ski which thus becomes detached can slide away freely through which another skier or other persons on the slope can be injured. In the case of an undesired release of the ski binding during the travel on a chair-lift, however, the ski is carried by the connecting member, since here no forces occur which are sufficient to effect a release of the ski from the ski shoe and connecting member.
A common disadvantage of these and the already described safety measures exists where a separation between the ski shoe and ski binding occurs during chair-lift travel, so that at the end of the chair-lift travel the skier has difficulties when leaving the lift. This difficulty can be recognized particularly clear in FIG. 7 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,730. The other mentioned solutions lead to similar situations, even when, as in the embodiment of French Publication No. 2 147 916, the ski shoe is hinged to the front jaw.
The goal of the invention is to bring help here and to design a connecting member of the above-mentioned type which maintains the ski shoe in a position of readiness to step into the ski binding even when the ski binding has released the ski shoe.